Interview with Harriet Webb

Tell us about your role in I May Destroy You.
I play Theo, someone Arabella and Terry went to school with. She and Arabella reconnect as adults and start to build a really cool friendship.

Can you briefly set up the series for us?
The series follows Arabella’s life pre and post assault, and how she tries to make sense of the people and things around her. Broadly speaking, the series is about lots of things - consent, friendship, identity, responsibility, judgement, dependency (in all its forms) and also life in London.

Please could you introduce us to your character, Theodora?
Theo is strong, thoughtful and tough - a bit of a survivor. She’s compassionate but with a straightforward attitude and a great sense of humour. She, like many of us, has grown into being a very different person to the one that she was at school.

Where do we find Theodora at the beginning of the series?
You first meet Theo when she comes to pick Arabella up. Theo walks up to Kwame, Terry and Arabella at their graffiti class without anyone realising she's there and - classically - Terry is talking about her. It’s a brilliant first meet.

What is her role and how does the narrative follow her story?
What’s cool is that you get to meet two Theos within the show. We meet Theo as she is now, as an adult, but we also get to meet Theo’s younger self (brilliantly played by the phenomenal Gaby French). We get the joy of being able to tell that whole story, and that’s a pretty amazing thing - to delve so much deeper into who Theo is and why she is. The show then follows this new friendship as it develops, and beautifully, she becomes part of Arabella’s core family.

Describe the relationship between Theodora and Arabella and how it develops over the course of the story?
I think for Arabella, Theo represents a fixed point in a world that’s on the spin. She offers a practical, grounding form of help that, despite their shared history, can be built on from scratch with no obligations and (most of the time) with honesty. One of the reasons I love this relationship so much - and the Terry and Theo one too - is 'cos we all know what that’s like. That person at school that you knew stuff about but never actually knew. Then you meet them further on in life and you’re like, YES.

Arabella’s friends Terry and Kwame don’t completely trust Theodora. Can you tell us why?
I know, and it makes me laugh. Well, they have no reason to trust her I guess. As Terry loves to remind everyone, what they do know about her is pretty dodgy and comes with some questionable baggage. Terry and Kwame are, quite rightly, hugely protective of Arabella. I think it would be weird if they weren’t wary of Arabella's new friendship, especially while she is so vulnerable.

And even if their friend was on form, you know what it’s like when your best mate starts spending a lot of time with some ‘great new friend’ - it’s really annoying. Especially if that person has previous.

I think it would be fair to say that there may be some tiny element of Terry that's a little bit threatened too. Out of love and a touch of guilt, Terry wants to be everything for Arabella. Theo offers something that she can’t - and it’s irritating for her.

What is the history between them all?
The two girls and Theo went to school together. Something went down, very much involving Theodora, so they have that as their only reference. They certainly knew each other but were by no means close.

Without giving too much away, can you give us some insight on how Theodora’s story develops over the 12 episodes?
We meet someone who seems pretty solid, having come through a lot. But as we all know, these things are never finished, right? I think reconnecting with Arabella is wonderful for Theo in lots of ways - I don’t think she had understood or even acknowledged how much she probably wanted/needed a resolution from her school experience until Arabella re-enters her life. She essentially goes from being a massive outsider to being a core member of the group.

Did you do any research on the subject matters explored throughout the series before you started filming?
Amazingly, the job I had been working on and off on for about two years was a play called It’s True, It’s True, It’s True which is about a historical rape trial - there was a mad and amazing crossover in themes and thoughts.

What drew you to taking part in I May Destroy You?
It’s very simply the best script I’ve ever read. It was an instant thing. I could see and feel everything. If I had a dream of what kind of work I would make next, this would have been it. I don’t think I have connected on a level like that to pages before, I couldn’t breathe and I couldn’t read them quick enough. I still cannot believe I got to help make this project.

Had you worked with Michaela Coel before?
No I hadn’t. I knew who Michaela was from the absolute banger Chewing Gum, but we had never met before. I know you didn’t ask this, but I just want to say that I believe that this woman is one of the coolest, most accomplished, focused visionaries out there - and not only that but she makes me laugh. A bit like Arabella and Theo in later life - as soon as we met - I was like, YES mate - and I am delighted to say she is a wonderful new friend of mine.

What was it like having her as a co-star but also the writer, director and exec-producer?
I mean, it’s a lot right? I cannot tell you how nervous I was on that first day - you want to be amazing, you want to do the work - that you’re already obsessed with - justice, and you want her to be happy in her choice. It was a total privilege, I didn’t know what it looked like to handle all of that. To see that it is possible to create something and then also shape and control the thing is so inspiring.

Also the true trust and collaboration between her and Sam is a really beautiful thing. Knowing you can share your most precious thing with someone and they will not only protect it and make it soar, they will love it like it’s their own. She did it all with such style it’s actually sickening. Grace, warmth, calm, professionalism, detail and so, so much fun.

What was the most challenging aspect of this job?
Wanting to do your absolute best.

Have you got any future projects coming up?
Obviously the world has changed a lot in the last few months, I have a second series of Sandylands to be filmed later this year but who knows when. Mad things.